What’s the best way to study in-cabin experiences for autonomous vehicles?

I’m working on a research project exploring what kinds of in-cabin experiences people would want in the autonomous driving era.

Instead of asking for personal opinions in 1:1 interviews, I’m thinking about a segment-based FGD (focus group discussion) — for example, bringing together different types of people like:

• business commuters,
• parents who drive kids,
• older adults,
• or people who already trust autonomous systems.

Then I’d show each group some driving scenarios (e.g., traffic jam, night driving, or unexpected route change) and have them discuss how they’d feel or what kind of features they’d want in those situations.

But I’m wondering —

👉 What other research methods could help uncover real emotional and behavioral needs in this context?

Would you use immersive simulations, role-playing, co-creation sessions, or something else entirely?

I’d love to hear how others would approach this kind of future mobility research.